At the EA press conference today, BioWare announced its next project, Shadow Realms. Jeff Hickman, the Studio General Manager discussed its inspiration in old school pen and paper role-playing games, before elaborating on how that applies to the videogame.

Set in a "modern fantasy" world, the heroes form teams of four to do battle against the forces of the Shadow Lord, who controls a range of evil creatures. The result is an online role-playing game with asymmetric multiplayer.

Of course, BioWare throws in its own twist, where story remains a significant component of the gameplay. The studio plans to release content for Shadow Realms episodically, so the community can experience the progression of the story as it evolves together.

Shadow Realms is scheduled to release for PC "late next year," but it is currently playable at gamescom, and interested parties can sign up for the alpha at ShadowRealms.com.

Darren is a scientist during the day. He has been a Destructoid community member since 2006, joining the front page as a contributor in 2011.
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